The standalone Lenovo Mirage Solo Daydream VR headset is actually capable of launching two-dimensional apps and games, but the device by default provides no way of doing so. You have to use a cumbersome workaround involving installing the app remotely from the Play Store on a PC, then opening Settings on the Mirage Solo, then opening the app settings page that you want to launch, then launching the Play Store details page for the app, and then finally tapping "open" to actually launch the app you want. The full steps outlined by UploadVR show you just how tedious this can be. Fortunately, a developer has released a 2D app launcher that lets you launch other 2D apps without going through this painful process.
As a brief reminder, the Mirage Solo is the first Daydream VR headset with Google's WorldSense technology for tracking your location and Project Seurat for high-fidelity VR scenes. It offers 6 degrees of freedom tracking and ships with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 system-on-chip. (In comparison, the Oculus Go offers 3 degrees of freedom tracking and ships with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 821, though it retails at $199 compared to the Mirage Solo's $450 price.)
A developer by the name of MikeDG has released a modified version of the open-source KISS Launcher. (The source code for his modifications can be viewed here.) The modifications they made allow KISS Launcher ('SIKK Launcher') to be launched from the Daydream VR Launcher. Once launched, you can easily search for your installed 2D apps by either typing the name to filter the list or by scrolling through the list with your controller. Previously launched apps are automatically added to the home screen for quick access, and these can be favorited so they'll be pinned to the home screen.
Here's a video provided by the developer of him opening up the WWE app using the launcher:
The benefits of this app, according to the developer, are as follows:
- Launch Google Photos and select automatic backup so you can easily backup screenshots and screen recordings.
- Launch Bluetooth settings quickly to pair new Bluetooth devices. The developer states that pairing Bluetooth headphones worked for them and that multiple users report that pairing gamepads will work.
- Of course, you'll be able to launch your 2D apps much more quickly than before.
Check out UploadVR playing PUBG Mobile as an example of the crazy things you can do with 2D apps and games on the Lenovo Mirage Solo.
There are a few things you should be aware of before you go messing with 2D apps and settings on your Mirage Solo:
- Do not disable Bluetooth. Your VR remote relies on Bluetooth to communicate with the headset. If you turn off Bluetooth, you won't have a way to control your device.
-
Enable USB Debugging and set up ADB. If you do happen to mess anything up, then you can fix most of your problems if you have ADB set up with your PC. (For example, if you accidentally disable Bluetooth but you have ADB then you can toggle Bluetooth on via the following command:
svc bluetooth enable). - Bug: The home button sometimes only launches the current app. The developer is unsure why this happens but states a simple reboot will fix the problem.
Are you ready to try this launcher? You can download it from the below link. You'll need to sideload it, though, as the developer states that the high standards of the Play Store prevent him from even attempting to submit this app online. You can sideload the APK with ADB or by downloading it from the original thread via Google Chrome.
Download the modified KISS Launcher for the Lenovo Mirage Solo Daydream VR headset
This article was updated with real screenshots of the launcher provided by the developer.